Had job then lost job.

I get a call from a lady wanting me to give her a bid today and wants the lawn done today. This is a spring clean up one time deal. The lawns is all weeds and knee high lots of edging. A two maybe even three times cut. When I gave my bid of $75.00 the lady lets do it. I am unloading my mower of the trailer and another LCO shows up has Crapman 21" and a crapsman lawn tractor on his trailer. I look towards them when they come to the front and the LCO says go ahead you got it. So I am about to start the mower and she runs over to me and says the other guy is going to do it he was cheaper. I was burning up inside. I drove 20 miles to give her my bid and droped what I was doing when she called. Just had to vent this I know you have all heard this a million times.

Hey there! We've had people in mobile home parks decide that they want to start mowing, buy a little Crapsman and undercut our prices. When they find out how hard it is to do, they quit on our old customers, then our old customers are calling us back and crying because they don't have a lawn service. I feel this way about undercutting prices and even have customers who have told us the same -- YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. We do quality work. We are reliable and when we get disappointed by someone undercutting (because they don't bother to buy a license or insurance or the proper equipment usually), we just know that this customer is eventually not going to be satisfied with their work -- even at a lower price. Also, another way to think of it is this.... Do you really want to have a customer like that??? We have good relationships with our customers. We've let some of THEM go because they have mistreated US. It is our business and we want quality customers too! It wasn't YOUR loss. It was HERS!

Man. that is low...... You have a real scumbag of a customer there but As you well know It happens all the time. Obviously, this customer has no honor. At least the other LCO had some honor to tell you to go ahead that you got it. But all you can really do is just drop it and move on and don't let it eat you up inside. Nowdays, I really don't care if a customer hires me or not, I've gotten real picky, I won't do a clean up unless I can get at least $100 plus tax for it regardless of size. As for regular maintenance services, when a customer calls I tell them up front that service starts at $105 a month for small yards. Basicly I tell them over the phone what cost may be, and if they want me that is fine. I don't mean to sound like an ass to potential customers, But they have to understand that our (yours and mine) time is valuable, and that I do not want to waste time with someone that really doen't want to work with me. Go have your self a cup of coffee and relax and maybee you should raise your rates a little on those clean ups, to off set those gas expenses you incour doing estimates. Good luck on your season!

You are both so right. I know this type of thing will happen again. I am not going to loose sleep over it. I just started my lawn biz back up after being out of it for 6 years and am trying to build my customer base. I just got a new Toro Proline and trailer so need to pay the bills. Hopefully some GOOD customers will come my way and they will get what they pay for from me a PROFESSIONAL.

To bad she did not sign a contract with you, I had something like that happen to me on a 2 or 3 time a year cut , Some dude bid 250 less than I did ! Before she evan needed a cut the man who bid lower than I did lost his car couldn't make the payments. So she ended up calling me back and did it for another 30 bucks each time. 90 bucks more paid for the prom ticket. O Well some times you win some times you don't. :blob1: